The Balkans a Resource Unit for K-6 Students Elementary and Middle
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
The Balkans A Resource Unit for K-6 Students Elementary and Middle Social Studies Curriculum and Instruction Professor Gail McEachron The College of William and Mary Fall 2008 Prepared By: Katherine “Ryan” Simpson Stephanie Tudor Megan Clontz Historical Narrative: Stephanie, Megan, Ryan Lesson One: All Lesson Two: Stephanie*, Megan, Ryan Lesson Three: Stephanie, Megan*, Ryan Lesson Four: Stephanie, Megan, Ryan* Artifact Card One: Ryan Artifact Card Two: Megan Artifact Card Three: Stephanie Artifact Card Four: Megan Assessments: All *: Person in Charge Historical Narrative Introduction : The Balkan Peninsula, a peninsula in southeastern Europe, extends to the south from central Europe and it is bounded on the east by the Black and Aegean seas, on the south by the Mediterranean Sea, and on the west by the Adriatic and Ionian seas. The countries that comprise the Balkan Peninsula are generally termed the Balkan states because they are successors to the Ottoman Empire and include: Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, Albania, Greece, and Bulgaria. Romania and Slovenia are sometimes classified as part of the peninsula as well. The entire region is about 200,000 square miles. Although there truly is not a sharp physiographic separation between the actual Balkan Peninsula and central Europe, the line of the Sava and Danube rivers is normally considered the Balkan’s northern limit. (Harford Web) The Balkan region is termed the Balkans because of the Balkan mountain range that runs through Bulgaria. The average height of the Balkan mountain range is about three thousand feet above sea level and the highest peak reaches about 7,795 feet. The range is mostly composed of limestone and sandstone rock. Bulgaria is very fortunate to have access to these mountains, as they have highways and railroads that travel through them. Also, the mountains provide the Balkan region with coal, graphite, copper, lead, zinc, and iron. The first effect of these mountains is to divide the Balkan region into small units. This is very important because it has allowed for very different ethnic groups to remain confined to one place. The term ‘Balkan’ was first mentioned in a letter written by Buonaccorsi Callimarco, a humanist, writer and diplomat. The letter, written in 1940, was discussing a woody mountain range in northern Bulgaria. At the end of the 18 th century, the term was introduced to English literature by an English traveler. Soon enough, historical authors adapted the mountains to be known as the Balkan mountain range. The area surrounding the mountain range eventually began being called the Balkan Peninsula. Unfortunately, this area has gained a variety of different meanings over its politically controversial history. It has been called “Turkish Europe,” “Greek Peninsula,” and, as well all known, the Ottoman Empire. Today, the term Southeast Europe is preferred. (Hartford Web) Key Ideas : History – The Balkan history is characterized by military and political discord. The peninsula lies in a critical region of Europe and, therefore, plays the role of a link between Europe and Asia. Because of this, the region was subjected to a series of conquerors throughout history. Conflict between the Balkan people and the different nations in the region is very common. In the pre-classical years, the region was the home of Greeks, Illyrians, Paeonians, Thracians, Dacians, and other ancient groups. Eventually, the region become under Roman control and much of the area was influenced by Roman culture. During the Middle Ages, there was a series of wars between the Bulgarian, Serbian, and Byzantine Empires. By the 16 th century, the Ottoman Empire was the controlling force of the area. The Ottoman Empire was one of the greatest and most powerful civilizations of the modern world. The empire that they built was the largest and most influential empire of the modern period. The Ottoman Empire lasted from 1300-1922 and its peak controlling time was 1683-1699 (Hooker, 1996). The empire spanned control over many countries for six hundred and twenty-two years! The Ottoman Empire centered in what is now Turkey. Suleyman I, also termed as The Magnificent, was the sultan (authority or extreme power) of the Ottoman Empire (Hooker, 1996). Because of the control of the Ottoman Empire over the Balkan region, there really was no development of the Balkans. They were in an economic standstill and soon became the most underdeveloped region of Europe. By the 19 th century, one Balkan country after another developed a strong nationalist movement and won their independence back from the Ottoman Empire. The initial years following the independence movement were manifested with chronic friction and chaos. In 1914, World War I, or the Great War, broke out in the region because of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria (Duffy, 2000). He was the Prince Imperial of Austria and the Royal Prince of Hungary. His assassination led to Austria-Hungary’s declaration of war again Serbia. This declaration of war caused the allied Balkan nations to choose sides and form what became known as World War I. After the end of World War I, political leaders from around the world forcefully tried to prevent the Balkan nations from becoming “the powder keg of Europe” because of their nationalistic spirit that was causing thousands of rebellious revolts throughout the region. This international friction and the friction between the nations of the region led to the start of World War II (Duffy, 2000). Geography – The region of the Balkans is quite varied and complex. Much of the region shares the common characteristic that is highlighted by the name of the region: mountains. As previously stated, the mountains are not very high, but they occasionally make life difficult for the inhabitants. In some places, road building and agriculture is almost impossible. Also, some of the mountainous terrain is basically inhabitable to groups of people because of safety regions and the extreme lack of rainfall. The coastline of the western and southern regions is rocky. Much of the landscape has been able to provide agricultural resources. Inhabitants of the region typically partake in very small scale farming and raising of livestock. Major agricultural products of the region include wheat, meat and dairy products, cotton, lumber, tobacco, oil and gas, and wine. In terms of climate, there is a mild Mediterranean-type climate in the southern and coastal regions. These regions are known for their very arid summer season. The northwest humid subtropical climate covers a much greater area, while the northeast has a harsher humid continental climate. A humid subtropical climate zone is characterized by semi-humid summers and very chilly winters and a humid continental climate usually has very large temperature variances between the seasons, as well as variable weather. Greece – A vast majority of our culture kit involves Greece, as it is the only country that is mentioned in the primary standards. The first true evidence of people inhabiting Greece is from about 55,000 BC, or 57,000 years ago. The country of Greece has truly been through an amazing history of events. The country has traveled through the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, and the Iron Age. All of these time periods were different and changed the environment, society, and culture of Greece. Today, Greece is famous for its historical architecture and renowned cities. In this lesson, we are going to discuss four main cities: Athens, Crete, Delphi, and Olympia – each of which are famous for their architectural beauty. Athens, Greece is not only the capital and largest city of Greece, but it also one of the world’s largest cities. Athens was developed during a classical era and the influence of this era is still present in many of the architectural buildings today. The most famous piece of architecture is the Parthenon, which is located perfectly on the top of the Acropolis. The Parthenon is a frequently visited tourist location by millions of tourists year-round. It is definitely one of the most important buildings in Greece. The Parthenon is a temple of the Greek goddess Athena. Today, the Parthenon has not been restored to its original glory. It was kept it good condition until the 19 th century. Sadly, the country was raided and the temple was almost completely destroyed. Finally, in 1975, the Greek government began making an effort to restore the temple. It is hoped that one day it will be restored to its original beauty. Greece is also famous for its history regarding Medusa, one of the three monstrous gorgons from Greek mythology. She started out as a beautiful priestess in one of Athena’s temples; however, she enraged Athena who transformed Medusa’s beautiful hair into serpents and made her face so terrible that anyone who gazed upon it turned to stone. Medusa was a hated figure in Greek mythology and was eventually beheaded by Perseus with help from Athena. The artifact of Medusa’s head is cast terracotta and is believed to been created around two thousand years ago. It was found in Rome on a temple, but Medusa was a Greek mythological figure. This artifact can be found at the Muscarelle Museum, in Williamsburg, Virginia. Crete is fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and the largest island of the Greek islands. It is one of the thirteen peripheries (regional administrative divisions) of Greece and was once the center of the Minoan civilization (the oldest Greek and European civilization). One of the things the Minoans are known for is their labyrinths. These are large, complicated mazes in which many people could get lost. The most famous labyrinth is in Greek mythology and was built by Daedalus to imprison the Minotaur, a man-eating monster that was half man and half bull.